Eddie Izzard

[andy-hughes]

I am the first to understand that comedy is subjective - I have a member of my family whom I love dearly, notwithstanding that she thinks Michael McIntyre is funny ...

But I watched about twenty minutes of Eddie izzard on tv tonight, and I simply don't get it

I couldn't raise a smile if my life depended on it, so what am I missing?

[piggynose]

simon locke can still make me laugh even after 30 odd years, also like micky flanaghan, and now and again the hilarious frankie boyle.

[piggynose]

* sean locke!

[Patsy33]

Sean Locke is funny too. Mickey Flanaghan, always a good laugh!

[Mozz71]

Put me down as another for Dave Allen.

Sean Locke is the reason I watch Cats does Countdown. He's laugh out loud funny.

Frankie Boyle is another who I find hilarious. Yes, I know he's filthy with the language, and the give-no-effs attitude, but I don't care.

This had tears rolling down my cheeks when I first watched it. Please ignore if easily offended, as both content and language are NSFW.

[andy-hughes]

Mozz - // Frankie Boyle is another who I find hilarious. //

I always feel with FB that he is going for shock, rather than humour, and because the reaction is the same, it's easy to think that one is actually the other.

When FB comes out with one of his monumentally crass observations, people laugh as a result of the release of nervous tension because they are uncomfortable. That's a galaxy away from being amused, but because it sounds the same, Frankie can tell himself he is funny, and 'edgy' when he's actually simply being shocking, and that's not talented, because loads of deeply unpleasant stupid people can do that as well.

[Hopkirk]

I refuse to watch anything with Frankie Boyle in it.

Obnoxious, and just not funny.

[ToraToraTora]

can't see that mozz, it wants ID

[ummmm]

Wrong, Andy, I don't laugh out of shock. FB is very funny.

[Mozz71]

I agree with Ummm. Even if you take the bad language away from Boyle, he would still be funny. The kind of material he does tends not to be malicious, just unrepentantly honest. It's no different than what the likes of George Carlin was doing decades earlier.

Sorry Tora, best I can offer is to look up "Frankie Boyle dogging monologue" on YouTube.

[The Builder]

I once saw Jimmy Carr (jokingly) tell an audience off after he told a really blue gag.

"First, you gasp and hide your faces..........
... then you burst out laughing.....
... you can't have it both ways.
Do you want to hear a filthier one?"
And the audience shouted "YES".

A very clever comic.

[andy-hughes]

Mozz - I posted my past post before looking at the clip, from which I found the following -

The circumstances of Michael Hutchence's sad demise are not even vaguely amusing, hence the polite laughter of the guests, while their faces are clearly saying "I can't believe you said that!", and once again it underlines my point that shock and humour are not the same thing.

The other point is, if you can write something that is clearly far too complex to sound natural if it is read out loud - then don't read it out loud because it does sound unnatural, which this clearly did.

And finally, if you are going to read out your carefully written epistle, it looks really arrogant if you are making yourself laugh with your own humour - get a poker face, or rehearse more.

[andy-hughes]

Mozz - // It's no different than what the likes of George Carlin was doing decades earlier. //

That's true, but that doesn't mean that it's funny now to people who didn't find it funny then.

[ummmm]

Builder, he's brilliant. I've seen him live a few time. I was crying with laughter. He's far more offensive than Frankie.

[andy-hughes]

The Builder - // I once saw Jimmy Carr (jokingly) tell an audience off after he told a really blue gag.

"First, you gasp and hide your faces..........
... then you burst out laughing.....
... you can't have it both ways.
Do you want to hear a filthier one?"
And the audience shouted "YES".

A very clever comic. //

I saw JC interviewed once, and he said that he is aiming for the laugh, followed by the gasp.

It's the same reaction I get with Bernard Manning, I think he is funny, but I think I am a bad person for thinking he is funny.

[ummmm]

Andy - without meaning to be offensive to you but you do come across as very serious and humourless.

[The Builder]

Yes Andy... what I think is so clever about someone like Jimmy Carr, is that he makes us the "bad guys".
He can actually goad the audience into wanting more, even if we know full well that we're going to cringe.

Ummmm knows what I mean
As with everything, comics are "Marmite".

[andy-hughes]

ummmm - // Andy - without meaning to be offensive to you but you do come across as very serious and humourless. //

You have made that point several times before.

I am not offended in the slightest - it's the downside of communication without the vocal inflections and facial expressions that give someone an actual personality.

I can be serious, but I am absolutely not humourless, although I do understand why you could think that I am.

[andy-hughes]

The Builder - // Yes Andy... what I think is so clever about someone like Jimmy Carr, is that he makes us the "bad guys".
He can actually goad the audience into wanting more, even if we know full well that we're going to cringe. //

I think it shows a real student of human nature.

When he does his 'find the level' part, where he will ask if his audience want an even more offensive joke, because as he points out, they are asking, and he is obliging, so no-one can really be offended.

[Mozz71]

Andy, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one. I find the likes of George Carlin and Bill Hicks as funny now as I did 25 years ago, as you said different comics have different audiences. That's why (what I perceive as) crap like Mrs Brown's Boys and Miranda have an audience.

[ToraToraTora]

AH 15:46 + 16:09 bang on, I've never seen the attraction of FB. I did find the monologue and it was poorly done as AH says.